The NATO Air Command and Control System Management Agency (NACMA) on behalf of the NATO Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence Programme Office and in coordination with the NATO Command, Control and Consultation Agency, has signed a contract with ThalesRaytheonSystems to deliver a Ballistic Missile Defence Interim Capability element at NATO’s Air Command in Ramstein, Germany.

The contract value is €3 million.

Implementation of the contract, which is expected within three months, will deliver a key component toward NATO’s objective of declaring an interim missile defence capability at its summit in Chicago in May.

It will give NATO the capability to conduct 24/7 territorial missile defence operations while simultaneously deploying a theatre missile defence command and control capability to any necessary theatre of operations.

During the visit, the Secretary General thanked Latvia for the commitment to defend the Alliance’s values [in] its contribution to the Alliance’s ISAF operation in Afghanistan…[T]he Secretary General said…”Your ports and railways are our lifeline to Afghanistan. And every day, Latvia helps shape our decisions on every aspect of NATO’s work”.

The Secretary General took part in the ceremony at the Freedom Monument and Places of Rememberance in Riga, and laid flowers in memory of the Latvians killed by Soviet security forces during the struggle for the restoration of independence on this day in 1991. “The people of Latvia know that freedom does not come for free. You have fought for your liberty many times over the years. Your nation is a symbol of courage and commitment to the cause of freedom ,” he said.

The Secretary General and Prime Minister Dombrovskis also signed a Memorandum of Understanding between Latvia and NATO concerning Cooperation on Cyber Defence.

Peshawar: A fresh drone attack carried out by the American CIA in North Waziristan Agency Monday morning killed six people.

There was a relative calm in the adventurism by the CIA-operated drones which had been on a killing spree in the Pakistani tribal belt, particularly South and North Waziristan for the last over three years as they had halted their attacks following the NATO attack on the Salala check posts in the Mohmand Agency November last.

Reports reaching here said a few Predator planes, in a third missile hit after the Mohmand tragedy, targeted a vehicle in the Degaan area some 30 kilometers west of Miran Shah, the headquarters of the North Waziristan agency, Monday early morning, destroying the vehicle completely.

“The American planes hovering in the skies for quite some time fired many missiles at a vehicle heading towards the Datta Khel area from Tehsil Degaan and the vehicle was seen in high flames where a nearby house was also damaged,” sources told the Observer, adding that as many as six people on board the vehicle were found dead.

…The people of the area said and added that three drones were hovering in the skies when the attack took place.

It was also said militants belonging to the Hafiz Gul Bahadur group of Taliban took away the dead bodies of Monday’s strikes to an unknown place.

American planes or infamous CIA-operated drones which have been launching missile attacks in the Pakistani tribal belt since August 2008, have killed more than two thousand people in 275 hits, mostly in the North and South Waziristan agencies. Out of those strikes, 33 were conducted in 2008 and 53 in 2009. However, the notorious drones struck 118 times in 2010 and seventeen attacks were launched in 2011. No doubt, a big majority of the drone’s victims remained innocent tribals.

However, the attack on the Salala military post in Mohmand had resulted in extremely staining the Pak-America relations. The Pakistani government while succumbing to public pressure also had to halt all NATO supplies to Afghanistan routed through the Torkham and Chaman borders besides getting the Shamsi airbase vacated by the Americans.

Proposed U.S.-Philippines drills raise questions about U.S. intentions in Asia
By Liu Tian

BEIJING: As the United States and the Philippines plan to hold joint military drills near disputed waters in the South China Sea from March to April, one can’t help but raising questions about the real intentions behind Washington’s pivot to the Asia-Pacific region.

Since the United States announced its “return” to the Asia-Pacific region with much fanfare late last year and rolled out a new defense strategy on Jan. 5, countries in the region have been wondering what all this fuss would mean to them.

For many people, they hope the United States, the world’s sole superpower, will play a constructive role in promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the region.

But as the planned joint military drills show, the United States could become a destabilizing force in the region itself if it puts its power in the wrong places.

The United States and the Philippines have claimed that their proposed war games are not directed against other countries in the region, but the motive behind the planned joint drills is really dubious.

As to the issue of the South China Sea, the priority for all parties is to shelve disputes and refrain from taking radical measures to escalated the situation.

The United States, as an outside power, should work with all parties concerned to prevent tensions from getting out of control, rather than support one side or the other.

Instead of trying to arm the Philippines and stoking tensions, the United States should restrain the activist and provocative moves by its so-called ally.

After all, it is in the interests of all parties to maintain peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region, which has been considered as a major engine driving the global economy.

So far, Washington’s performances have failed the good expectations of many people in the region. It should take concrete measures to back up its claim that its presence in Asia-Pacific is a positive contribution to regional peace.

For the Philippines, as signatory of the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, it is obliged to honor its commitments and stop any provocative action.

BELGRADE: Deputy War Crimes Prosecutor Bruno Vekarić said Monday that the investigation into human organ trafficking in Kosovo was “gaining a new dimension”.

A resolution is in sight, he told state broadcaster RTS in Belgrade on Sunday, and commended Russia’s reported involvement in the probe.

He further noted that a cooperation agreement has been signed with Russia which involves exchange of information, and pointed out that the most important thing for the victims and their families was for the investigation, conducted in four countries, “to reveal the truth”.

The war crimes case investigated by the Serbian Prosecution concerns kidnappings, illegal imprisonment and removal of vital organs from Serb and other civilians in Kosovo and northern Albania in 1999 and 2000. The case was also investigated by Council of Europe Rapporteur Dick Marty, who in late 2010 submitted his report, naming ethnic Albanian KLA as perpetrators.

Serbia is demanding an investigation to be conducted under the auspices of the United Nations.

But allegations of illegal trafficking in human organs in Kosovo surfaced once again, this time related to the case dubbed “Medicus”, after a clinic in Priština. This time, donors consented to operations after they were offered to illegally sell their organs.

The suspects in the case are currently on trial in Priština. Media reports on Monday said that Canadian citizen Raul Fain, who claims that in 2008 in Priština he received a kidney extracted from a Russian woman at the price of EUR 87,000, would appear as a witness via video link in the trial in the case of illegal organ trafficking and transplants.

Canadian daily Toronto Star says that Fain would issue his testimony under oath before the Ontario Supreme Court in the trial that started on October 4, and quoted EU mission in Kosovo, EULEX Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime Jonathan Ratel who said that Fain is in no way a suspect, but a key witness in the process.

In an interview for Toronto Star, former Canadian prosecutor Ratel recalled that the 46-page long indictment charges seven individuals with one or more criminal acts of human trafficking and organized crime, as well as illegal performance of surgeries or abuse of office.

According to the daily, in his statement before the Canadian authorities, Ratel, who works as an investment consultant in Toronto, gave a detailed account of the kidney transplant he underwent at the Priština clinic.

Fain, who suffered from grave kidney problems, was notified in 2008 by his cousins from Israel that “a certain agreement can be reached as regards kidney transplants in Kosovo”.

He was introduced to Moshe Harel whom the authorities described in the indictment as the mediator of Turkish doctor Yusuf Sonmez.

Harel is also said to be one of the major financiers of the surgery and Interpol has issued a warrant for his arrest due to human trafficking in Kosovo.

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany: Troops from Eurocorps deployed from Ramstein Air Base, using the capability of the Joint Mobility Processing Center Tuesday.

Eurocorps is a multinational standing army corps available for the European Union and the Atlantic Alliance.

Headquartered in Strasbourg, France, the force was created in May 1992, activated in October 1993 and declared operational in 1995.

“Eurocorps was an idea that originated in 1952, when France and Germany tried to create a unified European Army,” said French Army Sergent-Chief Joseph Patray, a Public Affairs specialist assigned to Eurocorps.

“Forces from Belgium, France, Germany, Luxembourg and Spain made up the force that deployed to support International Security Assistance Force in Kabul, Afghanistan,” said 2nd Lieutenant Patrick Labbe, 86th Logistics Readiness Squadron.

The force deploys from Ramstein because of the services they offer to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, and deploying service members.

“Ramstein is a focal point for all NATO missions going to Afghanistan,” said Labbe. “With Eurocorps being an extension of NATO, we have the processes available for this sort of a deployment. Ramstein also possesses all of the facilities necessary for a large movement like this.”

Because of facilities like the JMPC, Team Ramstein is able to strengthen alliances between NATO partners.

“Deploying from Ramstein helps by building partnerships across our two organizations and increases inter-operability within the U.S. and our NATO/Eurocorps partners,” said Labbe. “The JMPC is proud to support our joint effort for the mission in Afghanistan.”

ROYAL AIR FORCE MILDENHALL, England: The U.S. Air Forces Europe commander and command chief visited Royal Air Force Mildenhall Airmen Jan. 19, to express their gratitude and discuss upcoming changes to the Air Force.

RAF Mildenhall’s contributions to Operations Odyssey Dawn and Unified Protector were highlighted during the visit.

“This last year, you guys have done phenomenal stuff. The biggest reason the Chief and I are coming through is just to say ‘thanks,'” said Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, USAFE commander…

The general also congratulated the 100th Air Refueling Wing for exceeding expectations in 2011.

“You guys flew almost 310 percent of your flying-hour program this last year. That’s pretty impressive,” said Welsh. “The 100th ARW flew about 2,000 sorties, and off-loaded more than 100 million pounds of gas. One-hundred million pounds of gas! You can’t get your arms around that one; it’s fantastic.”

The general and the chief addressed some changes that were unveiled in the defense strategy document, “Sustaining U.S. Global Leadership: Priorities for 21st Century Defense,” earlier this month.

The global strategy for the United States was recently re-worked in Washington D.C. and Welsh concentrated on what that means for USAFE.

The general said that the strategic partnership in Europe is complex and that America’s leaders have assured the country that, as always, America-European relations will continue to evolve and adapt.

The commander stressed that there are some things that will always require an Air Force presence in Europe, like mobility, contingency basing, and command and control of air activity.

…

To conclude his visit, Welsh re-emphasized that with all the changes, the U.S. Air Force will remain the world’s greatest air power.

“All this stuff that’s around us right now with the budget cuts and the discussions of downsizing is not going to change the fact that this will be the best Air Force in the world, in the future, just like it is today,” said Welsh.

According to Iranian Interior Minister Mostafa Mohammad-Najjar, the military presence of US and NATO in the region has intensified insecurity.

He made the remarks in an interview with IRNA on the sidelines of his meeting with Sergei Shoigu Kuzhugetovich, Minister for Civil Defense, Emergencies and Disaster Management of the Federation of Russia.

“Insecurity and drug trafficking has severely increased as a result of the presence of NATO and the US in Afghanistan,” Najjar added.

He noted that Iran and Russia agreed to sign new MoUs in the field of security and emergencies.

Visiting Mohammad-Najjar also had a meeting with his Russian counterpart Rashid Nurgaliyev on Monday in which both officials underlined the need for the broadening of mutual cooperation.

Note that Russia does not agree with the sanctions against Iran which Western forces plan to put. The Russian and Chinese sides do not cut off relations with Iran despite all announcements by the USA and EU countries’ leaders.

The EU accepted the decision to reject Iranian oil till July 1 of this year. They aim by this way to force Iran to stop uranium enrichment. The Iranian side continues claiming that the enrichment is for only civilian needs.

Iranian officials announced yesterday that the embargo on Iranian oil may have negative and unpredictable consequences.

A delegation led by NATO international military department on cooperation and regional security, general-mayor Carlos Branko is in Armenia on January 23-24 to discuss new initiatives for military cooperation between NATO and counterpart states, the press service of Armenian Ministry of Defense informed about this.

The sides discussed military cooperation between Armenia and NATO and some documents which will assist the cooperation.

The NATO delegation leader met the Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of RA, Colonel General Yuri Khachaturov, and during the meeting the sides discussed Armenian peacekeepers’ participation in international peacekeeping actions. General-Mayor Carlos Branco expressed NATO’s gratitude towards Armenia for participating in the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

Armenian Minister of Defense Seyran Ohanyan also hosted the guests. During the meeting he spoke briefly about the reforms held in the Armenian defense sphere and also discussed the spheres where assistance from NATO is accepted.

YEREVAN: A delegation led by NATO International Military Headquarters Cooperation and Regional Security Department Chief, Major General Carlos Branco, is at the Armenian MOD between Monday and Tuesday. The main objective of the delegation’s visit to Armenia is to discuss new initiatives toward developing military cooperation between NATO and its partnering countries.

During the delegation’s meetings with MOD officials, the parties examined NATO-Armenia military cooperation, the MOD informed Armenian News-NEWS.am.

At a meeting between Major General Carlos Branco and Colonel General Yury Khachaturov, the Armenian Armed Forces Chief of Staff, the interlocutors reflected on NATO-Armenia military cooperation and Armenian peacekeepers’ activities. [In Afghanistan and Kosovo]

Clinton’s State Department also refers to the Persian Gulf as the Arabian Gulf and Russia’s Kuril islands as (Japan’s) Northern Territories.
But of course Foggy Bottom only strives for peaceful cooperation with China, Iran and Russia, right?